Sweet Wines with Your Sweetheart Series: Stella Rosa Moscato D’Asti

Hi Smiley’s and Wine Enthusiasts!

I am back with another Sweet Wine. This wine is indeed a SWEEeeet one but I have truly enjoyed it. The wine that I have for you this week is a Moscato D’Asti. Anytime you see D’Asti, know that the wine will be an Italian wine with a hint of effervescence.  Asti is a province in Northwest Italy. Due to the wine being sweet and low in alcohol, it is considered to be a dessert wine.

Tasting Notes:

Wine: Stella Rosa, L’Originale Moscato D’Asti, 2018

Bouquet: Green Apple, Orange/Citrus

Taste: Apricot, Honey, Effervescence. The sweetness of the wine is not overbearing.

Clarity: Clear, No legs

Pairing: Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberries: The chocolate on the strawberries hi-lited the effervescence in the wine. The bitterness of the dark chocolate and the sweet wine blended together so eloquently causing a nice melted chocolate effect on the palate.

Vintor’s Pairing Suggestions: Fresh Fruit, Spicy dishes and Desserts

I hope you enjoy this wine and wine pairing as much as I did. I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised. Until Next Week, XOXO, Smiling Danny

Salud’

 

Sweet Wines with Your Sweetheart Series: Sparkling Rose’ by Cupcake Vineyards

Hi Smileys!

Are you ready for Valentines Day? This month I thought that I would do a Sweet Wine Series. So each week this month I will be trying out sweet wines and leaving tasting notes right here on the blog. Consider this my labor of love as many of you know I am not a fan of sweet wine.

This week I tried the Sparkling Rose’ by Cupcake Vineyards. Unfortunately, I assumed that this would be a sweet wine especially since I found it displayed with the sweet wines; however, it is not sweet at all! This wine reminds me of a dry Prosecco. The good news about that is that this wine makes a great pairing wine for fruit and a great base for wine cocktails. The Vintor’s notes state that this wine delivers notes of raspberry, strawberry and floral. I didn’t pick up any of those notes. The Vintor also suggests pairing this wine with shrimp ceviche or fresh blooms. I tried this wine with shrimp and didn’t particularly care for it but I did enjoy it with some blueberries and grapes.  I also made a nice wine cocktail with this wine. I think that you will enjoy it, especially for those of you who enjoy spending Valentine’s Day with your friends as well.

Tasting Notes:

• Sight: Effervescent, Rose Gold
• Taste: Dry Prosecco
• Bouquet: Didn’t pick up any distinguishing notes
• Pairing: Raspberry Sorbet

Recipe: Galentine’s Cocktail/ Sparkling Wine Float

• Champagne/Sparkling Wine Flute
• 3 Tablespoons of Talenti Raspberry Sorbetto
• Cupcake Vineyards Sparkling Rose’

Add 3 tablespoons of Sorbet to your flute. Top off with Rose’. Salu’d.

Adding the sorbet to this wine definitely makes this a sweet treat. I hope you enjoy this wine cocktail recipe with your loved one, your friends or as a special treat for yourself.

Salu’d, XOXO Smiling Danny

 

 

Wine Makes Everything Better

There is this misconception that I enjoy cleaning. I guess it is because I am always cleaning my house and do my very best to keep it clean. But the truth is: I HATE CLEANING! I do, however, enjoy a clean house. Therefore, I do what it takes to keep it clean.  I could go through all of the nuances and explain what I don’t like about each task but it will just boil down to the fact that I just don’t like it. I don’t like anything about it except being done. I even more hate the fact that I have to keep cleaning it.

Anyway, one day I was watching a vlogger on YouTube do one of her “Clean with Me” episodes. Why? I guess for inspiration, I truly don’t know.  But I realized that this particular person was playing music in the background. She may have even lit a candle. Not really sure but my mind began to drift as I thought about how relaxed she looked while she cleaned. So I thought to myself: “How can I change the circumstance of my cleaning to make it more enjoyable?” Well, “I love Jazz music!, I thought. It relaxes me and puts me in a very happy space. So the next time I clean, I will play some jazz!” A day later, it occurred to me: why not pour yourself a glass of wine as well. I shared this with someone else and they got so excited that I ended up going straight home and trying it for myself. I tell you, this was the best cleaning experience I have ever had. Adding the glass of wine made it all better. I have played jazz before but usually while washing dishes and not for long because I don’t want to ruin my love for jazz by associating it with cleaning. But this time, including wine and jazz made my experience all the better. Now, I don’t sweat the small tasks nor dread the big ones.

So Smileys, if there is anything that you dread doing or thinking about, take a deep breath and think of a way to turn it into an enjoyable experience. For me it was a glass of wine. For you it can be a piece of chocolate, a cup of tea or an audio book. The list is limitless but life is too short not to enjoy it or the things you have. Praise God I have a home to clean and the ability to clean it myself. For this I am grateful.

XOXO, Smiling Danny